How we do it.

Pony Access, how we do it.

Safety. Pony Access is obsessive about safety. Traditional Equestrian pursuits are very high risk. Pony Access is very, very safe. In the 21st Century any activity needs to be safe to be accessible. Councils rightly emphasize safety for those working with schools, and residential homes for the disabled and for those working in publicly accessible areas. Using the iBex/saddlechariot is safe. Using small, friendly, barefoot ponies, trained with kindness is safe. A safe activity has the added virtue that insurance is cheaper, so a win/win situation.

Pony Access is open to anyone. If you want to go places pony drawn, or just meet ponies, that is all we need to know. If you can get outside in a wheelchair, we can take you anywhere. Indoors is trickier because the doors need to be 48” wide, and not many people want ponies on their carpets. But if you can fix that, we can take you around indoors as well.

The iBex and a 1.2m pony can cope with a 150kg high lift 6 wheel wheelchair and 100kg person on rough terrain. Anything less is easy. Any more and Obama might want me to use a bigger pony. The loading ramp, and 200mm floor height make loading any wheelchair, manual or electric, simple, safe and will comply with manual handling regulations. Simple ratchet tiedowns ensure that we can securely fix any wheelchair. The insane level of stability of the iBex means I still haven’t managed to tip it over during testing. And I have done some very stupid things.

Pony Access doesn’t just provide mobility, it is mobile.

It is frequently easier to bring the pony and iBex to the users, rather than transport lots of people with complex medical requirements to a place suitable for ponies. A pony’s requirements are simple and easy to meet anywhere, full disabled facilities are rare in rural locations. It makes sense to discover whether people will enjoy the experience of pony drawn access at a location where they feel comfortable, secure and within easy reach of all necessary facilities.

It is much easier for children to meet ponies at school, rather than arranging coaches for a school trip. School playgrounds provide a perfectly safe environment for Pony Access if numbers are restricted to one or two classes.

Pony Access is inclusive. We work with anyone, anywhere, doing pretty much anything. Contact Simon Mulholland on 07510 736518 or at ponyaccess@gmail.com